If Michael Flatley is the fastest dancer in the world, holding the record for 35 taps per second, who is the fastest whistle player?
I think Larry Nugent is the fastest whistle player.
[ This Message was edited by: JessieK on 2001-08-12 22:06 ]
I don’t think speed is a good metric for how good a whistle player plays, however I do have some favorites for fastest whistle playing.
Seamus Egan - his version of Eamon Coyne’s reel is blazing on his “a Week in January” release.
Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin plays a single whistle track on his first CD. He plays with great restraint. He could play with the fastest, although he has the good taste not to do so.
Brian Hughes - heir to Mary Bergin’s style. I listened to Brian’s CD in a music store in Kingston Ontario. My jaw dropped on the floor right next to where my heel was stomping when I heard his version of Ships are Sailing.
Mary Bergin can play among the fastest. She does on her CD’s. The three times that I heard her at East Durham was with a purist traditional audience that is more partial to crack than speed. She played those audiences with some real touch each year.
Brain Finnegan plays real fast. However his genre is not true traditional (although it is inseperable from traditionals) comparing his stuff is like comparing appls and oranges with other whistle players.
I also agree with Jessie about Larry. Nugent can SMOKE, but like Seamus Egan. After some time they slowed down: not because they had to, but because their their creative efforts led them away from speed to sweetness.
[ This Message was edited by: Mark_J on 2001-08-11 23:25 ]
There’s a new group called the Oklahoma whistle trio featuring Michael Flatley on a specialy modified titanium whistle that only he can play,Al di miola on a full board of generations which he plays like a pan flute and Larry Nugent’s brother Ted on a whistle that bursts into flames at the end of each solo!!
Don’t get hung up on speed!! Remember that most of what we play on whistle are DANCE tunes, and played at supersonic speeds are useless for dancing.
The original quote was for classical piano, but it applies here too:
“Most people play fast pieces too fast, and slow pieces too slow”.
By all means, practice playing fast to gain agility, but don’t get hung up on trying to play fast all the time in public. A tune played WELL a little (lot?) slower is much better than a tune played fast but poorly.
I’ve never encountered a reel that’s too fast for dancing. Many reels found in the recordings are actually quite slow for step dancing. But jigs and hornpipes are often played too fast.
Arto
I don’t think the question, who is the fastest whistle player, implied that fastest is best.
Jessie
“Speed + Volume = Applause”
Thanks Jessie.
Actually, I have found the answer to my question.
The fastest whistle player in the world is none other than Michael Flatley.
To set the World Record, Michael took off his dancing shoes and played the whistle with his toes.
[ This Message was edited by: Cinead on 2001-08-12 23:31 ]